The Association of American Universities (AAU) elected U-M President Mary Sue Coleman to a one-year term as its chair Oct. 18.
AAU is a nonprofit association of 59 U.S. and two Canadian preeminent public and private research universities. Founded in 1900, AAU focuses on national and institutional issues that are important to research-intensive universities, including funding for research, research and education policy, and graduate and undergraduate education.
Photo by Martin Vloet, U-M Photo Services.
“The contributions and discoveries of research universities are integral to the forward momentum of our country. I look forward to giving voice to our important work in the upcoming year,” Coleman says.
She succeeds Jared Cohon, president of Carnegie Mellon University. Coleman served during the past year as vice chair of AAU.
As AAU chair, Coleman will serve as a spokesperson for the association, particularly on issues of special concern to research universities. She will represent AAU in meetings with national policymakers and help to develop national policy positions on issues that relate to university research and graduate, professional and undergraduate education.
Coleman is in her 10th year as U-M president. In addition to her AAU duties, she is co-chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a commission established in 2010 by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
U-M is a founding member of AAU. It was one of only three public universities among the 14 institutions that agreed to establish the organization in 1900.
